


Wolfish Awakening

by Maxieprodmoore



Series: Ephemer's Wolfish adventures [1]
Category: AdventureQuest, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Ava & Ephemer (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Ava shows up for short bursts, Character Turned Into Vampire, Ephemer is a werewolf-vampire, M/M, Male!Player Character, Out of Character, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Vampire Keyblade Wielder, Were-Creatures, Werewolf Turning, Wolfwing trains Ephemer to control his condition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-03-20 20:31:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18999979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxieprodmoore/pseuds/Maxieprodmoore
Summary: An Alternate Universe tale where Ephemer gets attacked by a werewolf when he returned to the foreteller tower at night to investigate. Fortunately, he gets saved in the nick of time by certain people and thus, is still alive to become a Union Leader. Other than that, the Chi & Union cross plot stays more or less the same; even if certain story details are changed & certain plot points have to be set back some time just to let a certain dandelion boy recover & get used to his new found powers…





	1. Prologue: An invitation to answers

**Author's Note:**

> You could read this fanfiction as a fic with some Platonic Ephelayer, what with [Player] speaking loudly & clearly enough for the subtitler to pick up most often whenever Ephemer is part of the subject of conversation, & the possibility that Ephemer agreed to the Spirit pets for [Player’s] sake… Do note though that Ephemer is the main star of the fic, with Player, Master Ava showing up at certain parts of the story. This story is also taking for granted that the Kingdom Hearts worlds are connected to a lot more places than in game, to the point of crossovers. Dandelion leaders also cameo at one point in the story, but not yet.

**Prologue:**

“Should I tell him?” 

That was a question Ephemer debated with ever since both him & Player relaxed on the beach after defeating that Shipwreck shark earlier that evening, & even now as he did his dishes with [Player] by his side. [Player] was assisting him the best way he could, happy as he is to hang out with the Dandelion son. Ephemer shook his head. It had been a long week: First was stressing about the Pride Shift scenario, which was helped into a satisfying resolution by Lauriam reminding him about the Wielders’ data being stored in the dataworld.

Then came helping Lauriam in his investigation into his sister’s whereabouts. It was to be a simple investigation before going back to Union Leader duty. But Player’s chirithy’s reminder that Skuld & he had hardly visited Player at all since the incident, & Lauriam’s suggestion that he take a break, inspired him to take leave for the rest of the day, plus the next day, just to hang out with the guy. Make sure both Leader & first friend from beyond unions were ok & rested before resuming their respective duties. Two birds with one stone. It’s perfect. “Also, might as well put some of the doubts [Player] has to rest. He is a friend. No question about that. & friends don’t keep secrets bottled up forever. It’ll take time, no question about it. But in due time, he will reveal everything to him,” he promised himself.

 

“Ephemer? Is something wrong?” [Player] asked him, having already cleaned his share of the dishes from the dinner they shared.

 

“Oh! I’m fine,” Ephemer told him, now allowing himself to look at his dear friend properly after the dinner. “Hey, why not have a massage? Relieve the stress on your body & all?”

 

[Player] looked at him quizzically; He’d never heard Ephemer make such an offer before, much less to Skuld. But then again, she did say they both had some shenanigans occur between both of them, &, him + Ephemer are effectively on a date. So why not hang around & see what happens? With those thoughts in mind, Player nodded. The events that happened next was something he would not have expected from his fluffy haired friend. The boy told him to take off his shirt and lie on the sofa, with the assurance that he’ll be with them shortly. The massage that came by was relaxing. What he saw afterwards made him blush deeply & rendered an incoherent mess.

 

It was Ephemer alright, except the boy had stripped down to just briefs and a bowtie. To his credit, Ephemer was blushing himself, no doubt about what he had decided to do, & Player had decided he should go for the answers.

 

“E-Ephemer? W-Why are you doing this?”, Player managed to ask, trying to keep his eyes on Ephemer’s face, not the slender body he’d bared for his friend to see, scars & all.

 

“I know, I’m so sorry,” Ephemer replied, giving him a sheepish smile. “But I felt this to be appropriate.”

 

He sighed. “It’s time for me to tell you what I'm allowed to share of happened to me the first time we separated.”

 

He crossed his arms behind his back. “I do want you to massage my back as well. Lux knows I need that just as much as you do, [Player]. But before that, I’m giving you permission to inspect my body and ask whatever questions you wish to get answers for. Where I can & as appropriately as I’m able to, I’ll answer them. I hope to be able to say there's no more secrets amongst us.”


	2. Seed of the Beast within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ephemer finally starts telling Player of where the scars on his left cheek & chest came from.

**Seed of the Beast within**

* * *

“Are you sure?” Player asked him.

 

“Yeah,” Ephemer told him. But Player could tell that the boy was also embarrassed that this was the method he decided to frame his explanations around. Still, this was an opportunity for him to take in the cute, slender frame of his beloved crush while getting answers from him at the same time. A sweet sweet opportunity that would be savoured as much as he could.

 

“Everywhere appropriate?”

 

“Everywhere that’s appropriate. Yes, you may stroke my hair too if you want to,” Ephemer nodded.

 

“Alright, I’ll take you up on that offer.” With that, Player slowly nudged up to begin his inspection of Ephemer’s body. Sure, he was given explicit permission to do so, but Player still remained uneasy. It might have mostly healed up by now, but what kind of damage or reason could have kept Ephemer from meeting up with him at the main Fountain Square that time? Well, if Ephemer was so confident that a strip down to just his briefs for an inspection & later, giving of answers was the best way to come as clean as he can be given his current position as Union Leader, who was Player to deny him his offer of inspection?

 

With a swallow, Player began: He was as slender as Player expected him to be, with the kind of speed-based techniques he noticed Ephemer unleashed in the battles he managed to catch up to the boy for. But his chest area… scars everywhere like they’re made from claw marks... Player wanted to ask him about the scars right there & then, but Player decided that he needed to ask them all in one shot. Deliberately steering his eyes from the chest scars, Player turned his eyes to Ephemer’s neck and face. Sadly, they turned out no better, with a pair of bite marks on Ephemer’s neck & claw marks down the side of Ephemer’s left cheek; marks that he swore he saw in that dream? Of the graveyard of Keyblades where Ephemer & Skuld came to bring him through a ray of light? He honestly couldn’t remember any details after that moment. Only of him in bed & a mention from Chirithy about some nightmares… Worriedly, Player hastened his scan of the rest of Ephemer, breathing easily once he found nothing wrong with the rest of his friend’s body.

 

After giving his friend a thorough massage, Player steeled himself to ask his friend about the scars on his body.

 

“T-Those scars on your chest, face & scars… P-Please, tell me where you got those,” Player managed to stammer out.

 

Ephemer looked away at those words.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. The story would be quite painful to hear…” Ephemer told Player, his voice grim.

“But you asked, so I’ll tell you.”

 

With that, Ephemer took his seat on the sofa opposite Player.

 

“Aren’t you going to put on some clothes first?” Player asked, worried for his friend’s health.

 

“No, Player. I’m sorry. I have to do this. There are certain secrets that aren’t ready to be released yet & some things that should not be kept a secret amongst friends. This is one of those things that a friend should know as soon as possible. I’m ready, & I’m not putting on any more clothes till I see it through to the end.” Ephemer told him firmly.

 

Seeing that Ephemer is serious, Player nodded, straightening himself to listen to his friend’s tale.

 

“Remember the day we went into the Daybreak Town Sewers?”

 

Player nodded.

 

“After that, I did meet up with Master Ava at the Fountain Square. Told her all about you & how I had planned to meet you the next day. I planned to meet you the next day as promised! Really!” Ephemer told him, waving his arms frantically at Player’s skeptical look.

 

“But then, _that incident_ happened…”

* * *

 

**Night time, Daybreak Town Sewers, Gears gateway…**

 

Ephemer ran to the Gear Gateway, slowing to a walk as he approached the gear.

“Sorry Player…” he whispered as he looked back at the Daybreak Sewers entrance several hallways back. It wasn’t easy making that decision to explore the place first without Player by his side. But it had to be done. Venturing into the Foreteller Tower itself was forbidden, much less poking into the secrets that it held within. What would be the punishment dealt to him, that Player would also have to bore, if they both got caught? That was something Ephemer wasn’t willing to let happen to Player, strong feelings notwithstanding despite meeting Player a few hours ago, so he pressed on.

 

His assessment of the situation was justified not long after when he heard footsteps coming up from behind him.

 

“Who... “

 

Ephemer turned around to see what seemed like a hooded figure behind him.

 

“You???”

 

The hooded figure stood there for a long time, like it was considering something, or someone…

Then it nodded at something off screen.

 

Ephemer barely dodged the blow that followed.

* * *

 

The creature that swung that blow was a Werewolf heartless. But there was something off about it. Some scars were on it’s body & near it’s right eye. The shackles near it’s paws were damaged & rusted in some areas. Any other details that could be caught were skimmed over by the attacks that came soon after.

 

Ephemer tried to strike back with his usual arsenal, but the Werewolf felt so much more powerful than any other of it’s kind that he’s fought before. For one thing, it was blocking his keyblade swings, if not outright dodging them. And when it’s not dodging or blocking his attacks, it’s attacking with either swift strikes or attempting to hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. Ephemer managed to evade them, but even as refined a keyblade wielder as Ephemer could be in his circumstances, even Dandelion boy can’t dodge them all forever.

 

Ephemer had just managed to dodge a swing from the werewolf. But the heartless, in a surprising showcase of it’s intellect, followed up with a slash that connected with Ephemer’s left cheek.

 

The pain from the blow was unlike anything Ephemer had ever felt before, even with Second Chance (IV) on his person. Ephemer was launched into the air and landed harshly on the Gear Hallway floor. The boy tried to maintain his wits around him to stall his powerful foe long enough to heal himself, but what was left of his stamina quickly left him, and the boy collapsed on the ground.

 

The werewolf howled, launching itself into a barrage of slashes on his chest. The agony came as expected, a fresh flash of pain came with each slash that Ephemer was surprised he’s still conscious for. By the end, Ephemer was barely able to move, much less open his eyes. He felt the breaths of the wolf, heard it’s pantings. Then came the voice;

 

“That should show you what happens when you poke into this area as much as you had,” the figure told him, it’s deep voice feeling like it was said in the water in his current state.

 

“Dinner time.”

 

That was it… Ephemer told himself, his search for the truth ending with him as werewolf dinner. The boy turned his thoughts to Skuld & Player, the boy from his rival union with whom he’ll never really get to know…

 

The final chomp or slash never came.

 

Instead was a howl of pain, some slashes later, and a soothing sensation that can only come from a cure of a certain tier.

 

“Hold on! I’ll try to get you out!” a voice called out to him from somewhere.

 

Ephemer tried to sit up, but the damage done was such that he could not even do that.

 

“Oh no! T-That _didn’t_ work?”

 

*Silence*

 

“S-So… I’ll… I’ll have to do **_that_ **?” Even under the fog of darkness from the pain, Ephemer could sense the boy’s distress.

 

“Please… Please stay with me,” the boy pleaded, now holding his left hand.

 

He had to tell him. He had to tell the mysterious helper that he’s still hanging on.

 

Ephemer weakly squeezed the boy’s hand.

 

“You’re still there? Alright. Stay with me. I’m gonna give you something that should keep you alive long enough to get us both out to see a doctor to heal you up.”

 

A piercing sensation soon followed, followed by a soothing one.

 

“It’s alright. That something is just a temporary measure to keep you alive. After you’re stable, we’ll see about getting you back to normal if that something isn’t something you want. I promise…”

 

A howl soon told them both that that’s not gonna happen anytime soon.

 

“Oh no! Again???”

 

Ephemer tried to keep some semblance of consciousness, but the strain was too much for him and he blacked out.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I realised that these two chapters might have been uncomfortable for some people & that some might have questions (& comments) about it. For that reason, I'm opening up my curious cat account for questions regarding this fic as well as the other fanfiction stories that I have: Dreemurr in Need & Homeward Bound. Please be polite & patient, I'll answer them as soon as I can: https://curiouscat.me/Maxieprodmoore. 
> 
> Thank you!


	3. Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter with pure Ephelayer fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks! As mentioned, this Chapter has a lot of Ephelayer moments & fluff as both boys come to an understanding.

**Wolfish Awakening chapter 2: Coming Clean**

* * *

 

 

"Y-You snuck back there by yourself? & got attacked by a werewolf?", Player stammered, choking up as he digested what he heard thus far.

 

Ephemer nodded.

 

“I should have been there,” Player whispered. “I should have sensed something was off… Maybe we could have defeated it together.”

 

“Maybe we could have… But what if it really did take only someone as strong as Master Ava to defeat it? We could have both died, or only one of us survived. That was something I didn’t want either one of us to have on their conscious. Why I wanted to survey the way ahead first…” Ephemer told him gravely.

 

“But still!” Player protested. “It’s nice that you’ve thought of me when you made that decision. But why didn’t you allow me to choose? I waited for you at our chosen place, you know. I was worried sick when you didn’t show up!”

 

“He’s trying to be strong for your sake, you know.” 

 

A boom! And a puff of ‘smoke’ later, Player’s Chirithy appeared before the both of them.

 

“Hmm? What do you mean, Chirithy?” Ephemer asked him quizzically.

 

“He cried that night when you didn’t show up at all, you know,” Chirithy chipped in.

 

“C-Chirithy!” Player stammered, blushing heavily. “What the peck?!”

 

“What? He wanted updates on your situation, so he should know that part too.”

 

“R-Really? He cried that night when I couldn’t make it that day?” Ephemer asked, his face now paler from the new nugget of information presented to him.

 

Chirithy nodded.

 

Oh lux, I’m so sorry, Player!” Ephemer told Player, his eyes filled with tears as he crossed the space between to wrap Player in a tight embrace.

 

“It’s alright, it’s alright Ephemer,” Player assured him as he returned the embrace. Ephemer’s skin was slightly cold to the touch. But what else could he have expected from the boy leaving himself in just briefs at night? “You’re here now, That’s all that matters.”

 

Chirithy now turned back to the virtually naked Ephemer.

 

“Anyway, as I was saying, it wasn’t just you who left him that led to Player crying that night. May I tell him?” Player nodded his consent. 

 

“Before you, Player had attempted to be part of a party with a group of wielders. But it didn’t take long before they vanished. Every one of them.” Chirithy whispered that last bit. 

 

“Then you came into the picture.” Chirithy continued. “You were a bright spot in his life that day. He was feeling so cheerful when he was preparing to sleep that day too…” 

 

“I was always so lonely, ever since I was young, even when I got Starlight. The task was cool, the places I saw, the people I helped; a means to cover up the pain & loneliness I felt inside,” Player interrupted, his voice sad, but particularly clear. “Then you came into my life, appearing in my life when I followed the moogle’s tip to the Invisible in the Plaza. You were there already, you fought that Invisible & got injured.” Player now looked up again at Ephemer. “But even in that state, there was something, & it’s still there, about your voice, & the way you are; that compels me to speak up. Your presence inspired me and changed me enough to qualify as a Dandelion, to help others because I sincerely wanted to. So thank you Ephemer. Thank you for being part of my life.” Player told Ephemer, now smiling warmly.

 

Ephemer blushed at Player’s confession. It certainly wasn’t something that he expected to hear from his dear friend’s lips, but there it was. He tried to bury his face under his scarf, as a force of habit, but he’d forgotten that his scarf was in his room. Still, bare bodied or otherwise, the sight of it was enough to further brighten up Player’s face.

 

“Woah! I’m glad that I was an inspiration to you, Player. But man; that was out of the blue. I don’t know what else to say!” Ephemer could only reply, waving his arms frantically and leaning backwards as he was also bound to do whenever he felt embarrassed.

 

“But all the same, I’m glad you spoke up on this first,” Ephemer told Player, now resting his hands on the couch. Player looked at him quizzically, unsure of what his friend was going on about this. But he motioned for Ephemer to continue.

 

“The thing is, Player,” Ephemer looked down at the ground for this. “You were my inspiration too.”

 

If Player wasn’t flustered before, He was now; blushing especially pink in the cheeks and turning to the side to avoid looking Ephemer in the eyes. After a few minutes of incoherent speech peppered with silence, Player managed to reply:

 

“R- Really? I was y-your inspiration? How? W-Why?”

“W-Well… You were on my mind ever since the day we met, Player. How neat you looked, the gracefulness of your footwork, the spectacle & beauty of your spellcasting… How cute you looked in your attire of choice… ohlux, thatwassuperembarassing…” Ephemer replied, chuckling off that last bit.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Remember the Spirit you received sometime back?”

 

…

 

“Oh! You meant Kitstar!” Player excitedly replied as he called out his Spirit buddy to feed him his dinner.

 

“Yep, he’s doing fine. Had to go through a few lux barriers to get them, but now he’s rainbow furred, with a necklace, helmet and opera mask to complete the look I want for him,” Player happily declared as he now began stroking behind his pet’s ears, earning some happy purring from the spirit.

 

“Skuld & I agreed to have the Spirits made for all us Key Kids, in part because we thought it would help you with the recurring nightmares that you had…” Player jotted up at the comment, leaving his Kitstar to leap from his lap and onto the sofa.

 

“So you’ve already found out?” Player asked. He had to know how much his two main friends had known…

 

“Yeah,” Ephemer replied gravely. “Skuld & I had asked Chirithy to report on your situation for weeks now; ever since you... collapsed during training that one time. On many occasions since that time, he reported multiple instances of nightmare related incidents, that fortunately decreased soon after you received Kitstar.” 

 

“In fact, you were the number one priority recipient of Kitstar as soon as the dream eaters were ready because of those circumstances.”

 

That was a partial lie & both Ephemer + Chirithy knew it. But it was a cover story they agreed to in lieu of refraining from discussing the Keyblade War. After all, as far as both of them knew, Daybreak town had no therapists or anything that can help him cope with the PTSD that came with fighting on the battlefield, much less the deaths, blood & other details that came with  _ that,  _ plus none of the worlds they visited thus far had the help they wanted to give Player whilst allowing him to maintain those memories. Sure, Ephemer & Skuld could not help but express awe that Player was the dreaded warrior in that war, who tangoed with four of the five foretellers, not just survived them, but impressed them enough to leave Player alone despite plans to put him out of his misery? It was a badge of honour that both friends wanted Player to know he had. But that knowing of this achievement meant he also had to deal with the nightmares? There was no way either of them would allow Player to suffer like that, especially without a way for Player to deal with the full package on his lonesome, so amnesia of the War had to do for now.

 

Player looked at his hands as he processed this new set of information. He collapsed during training, not to mention the multiple instances of nightmares? That could somewhat account for the keyblade scars he noticed on his body. Player could also attest to the multiple instances of nightmares, but he couldn’t pinpoint the instances of him collapsing… further more, there wasn’t any recollections of receipts from sickbay stays or medicine collected either. He would make sure he had those records kept safely… So either he lost those, (not that possible), or Ephemer had not told him the whole story yet. A point he wanted to trust Ephemer to follow up on. That Ephemer (& Skuld) had also taken steps to make sure he was the first one to get  Kitstar to help deal with his nightmares? It certainly warms Player’s heart to know they did so much for him; so it falls on him to show his appreciation the best way he could.

 

With that, Player looked up. 

“I see… Thank you. All of you, for looking out for me.”

 

“No problem, Player. It’s the least I could do for standing up on my behalf…” Ephemer started saying before he was interrupted by a gloomp by Player.

 

“I was alone for so long ever since I was young…” Player told Ephemer, now looking up to his friend’s face with tears flowing from his eyes. “You & Skuld were the first real friends I had in quite a while. No… the two of you felt like family. The family I never had till now...”

 

“It’s alright, Player,” Ephemer assured him, patting the boy’s back. “You need not say another word.”

 

After waiting for Player to finish crying, passing along tissues in the meantime to help him dry his eyes, Ephemer continued. “I didn’t know who my parents were either. I was alone too, living in an orphanage till the day I awakened  Starlight. Then after, I was found and taken to Daybreak Town. Then on my first raid, I was rescued from defeat by keyblade wielders from different Unions. I’ve been thinking about why the Unions needed to compete so strongly for lux ever since. Initially, it was easy to help out fellow keyblade wielders whenever I came across them. But for the past year, with the animosity between wielders of different Unions, I was hardly able to help out without getting rejected or chased out. It got kind of depressing after a while…”

 

Player motioned him to continue.

 

“Then you showed up in my life. When I introduced myself & which Union I was from, I was actually nervous. Were you going to reject me like those others? When you didn’t push me away, I was so happy that I had a friend beyond Party associations. Then we fought that Invisible in the Sewers & defeated it as a team. Concerns about raising the Foretellers’ suspicions aside, the euphoria and fear of losing you made me want to solidify our friendship before it’s too late. Then came the revelation as I was getting ready to sleep that night; I cared too much about you to want you dragged into the mess I started. That’s why I snuck back into the Foreteller tower that night, why I worked so hard to make sure Kitstar was perfect & ready for the job it needed to do… Why I’m doing this current arrangement now…”

 

*Boomf!* Ephemer’s Chirithy appeared. “Come on, both of you! The two of you have been at this for almost an hour now. Just call yourselves & Skuld brothers & sister already!”, Ephemer’s Chirithy told them, exasperated. “I agree,” Player’s Chirithy chipped in.

 

The two friends looked at the Chirithies, then at each other and blushed hard.

 

Ephemer made his move first.

 

“You know, they’re right. We’ve both been worrying about each other’s well being & looking out for each other too much to be just friends now.”

 

Player nodded his agreement.

 

“I’m fine calling you my brother if you are, Ephemer. Brothers for life?” Player told him, extending his hand out in offer of the new arrangement given by both Chirithies.

 

Ephemer could only stare at Player. This was one of the few times he’d seen Player so vocal about anything. Sure, he’d heard from Skuld about the events that took place during the time Player took charge in going into the Foreteller tower after he was sent into the Unchained realm to help prepare the place for the dandelions; but this was a whole different level of energy altogether. Still, Ephemer himself had secretly hoped they could be a family: Him, Skuld, Player & Ven. & since Player had voiced his eagerness for them to be (Foster) brothers & sister, how could he say no?

 

His mind made up, Ephemer smiled & grasped his hand. “Yeah! I’m happy with this arrangement, Player,” Ephemer now wrapped his other hand around Player in an embrace. “Through thick & thin, we’ll watch out for one another, care for each other. More than just friends; now, we are brothers for life.”

* * *

 


	4. Coming to terms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that night has arrived, Player must come to terms with the reality of what Ephemer is now; ever since the incident with the werewolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, this chapter is another interlude chapter where Player comes to terms with what Ephemer has become ever since the incident. One might say this is a stall tactic while I decide on a story around Ephemer's training to master his werepyre powers, which would include Master Ava revealing his promotion to Union Leader, since I don't want to wait till I figure it out to release this chapter. If you have any suggestions on what it should be, feel free to drop a suggestion at curious cat, under the user name Maxieprodmoore. With that said, let's get on with the story!

**Wolfish Awakening Chapter 3: Coming to terms**

 

“It’s getting late,” Ephemer noted, more to himself than addressing Player.

 

 Do you want to take a walk outside?” Ephemer asked, now turning back to Player.

 

“Enjoy a little sea breeze before we return to our rooms for the night?”

 

To say that Player was thrilled to wrap up the day with one final tender moment with his foster brother was an understatement. After being alone for so long, any further moments to genuinely enjoy comradery was something Player wanted to savour to the last.

 

“Sure!” Player enthusiastically told him.

 

“Alright. Let me change into something much more appropriate.”

 

Player was expecting Ephemer to just put on a t-shirt & shorts for this beach walk. Hence he was surprised when Dandelion boy simply wore a pair of dark navy blue swim shorts with lux star patterns layered all over it.

 

 “I’ll explain to you later,” Ephemer assured him.

 

But Player was adamant. There was no way that he would let Ephemer bare himself just for the sake of an explanation, assurances that he’s fine be damned. He’d endure it with him. So having made up his mind, Player told Ephemer of his need to settle some matters first; returning later in his swimming attire. (The swim shorts avatar part).

 

Though protests were made, Player stuck to his guns & a while later, the two boys light portaled their way back to the Daybreak town beach.

* * *

 

The chills from being shirtless at night struck Player quickly as he came through the portal onto the sandy grounds of the beach area. Indeed, it took Player all of his willpower to not vocalise the shivering he felt at the moment. When he turned to look at Ephemer, Player was surprised to see that Ephemer wasn’t showing any signs of being cold. Worst still, his shadow was now in the shape of some human-ish werewolf…  with wings. Large wings capable of flight. Player backed away slowly; was this still Ephemer he was looking at? Or someone else posing as him?

 

Just then, a breeze blew through the area; eliciting a shiver from Player. He managed to keep himself from voicing the thought. Not enough, though, to keep Ephemer from sensing that something was wrong, for he asked:

 

"What's the matter, Player?" Now turning to face his companion, only to note Player shivering despite maintaining his bravest face.

 

"...Oh. Sorry, Player," Ephemer added, now sporting a sheepish grin. “I’ve forgotten how cold it can get at night under normal circumstances. But don’t worry, I have a fix for this.”

 

With that, Ephemer focused; & summoned a fireball onto his left hand. When he tried to approach Player, however, he was dismayed to find out that Player had started staggering back.

 

“Player?” Ephemer asked, concerned.

 

“Stay away from me! W-Whoever you really are!” Player all but shouted, tears in his eyes & Starlight now summoned to hand & brandished at his direction.

 

“Player…” Ephemer whispered, his head bowed down.

 

“You really don’t see me? You… You look at me & can’t see me, because of what I’ve become?” A pause followed. “Do you have any idea what that’s like?” Ephemer managed to say, hoping for a response. But Player remained silent, still fearful.

 

“Granted, I should have tried sending you a letter explaining that I’m fine that time around instead of just relying on dreams to tell you...,” Ephemer whispered, more to himself than to Player. Though Player heard it nonetheless.

 

“Regardless, I’m not a projection, Player. I’m right here. Standing in front of you…” Player now turned, his attention perked.

 

“Please… Just… just see me.” Ephemer pleaded, now sporting puppy eyes.

\-----------------------------

 

Player walked forward hesitantly. Was this a ploy to lure him forward so they could kill him or silence him in any way?

 

Still, as far as he could tell, Ephemer felt the same as the boy he encountered that day… Might as well try to sense his actual presence.

 

With that, Player came forward, grasped Ephemer’s right hand & closed his eyes to focus.

 

The presence Player felt was warm; just like the presence he felt around Ephemer the first time around. But Player was determined to poke around some more; he had to find out for himself if Ephemer was really still himself.

 

The other stuff that came into his mind’s eyes surprised him. It was two other “Spirits”. One in the shape of a typical Werewolf Heartless that he’d first encountered at the realm where the Castle of Dreams was located. The other was a bat-like being, red eyed with no pupils, but calm. Before Player’s astonished eyes, the two spirits merged into one; and sat there with Ephemer’s presence/spirit. Neither at odds with the other. Just a step away from having their arms one over the other’s shoulder, in fact.

 

It took a while for Player to process this information. But once it did, Player could only look to the side to drain off the flood of emotions he felt before looking back at Ephemer again. Once he did, Ephemer & the werepyre spirit beamed at him as Player opened his eyes once more.

* * *

 

“Ephemer?” Player whispered, his eyes wet once more. 

 

“Hello Player,” Ephemer replied warmly, now extinguishing the flame & wrapping Player’s body in a hug. “It’s good for the both of us to be back.”

 

“Yeah. It’s been too long,” Player told him as he returned the hug, to the pleasure of the two watching Chirithies in the coconut tree nearby.

* * *

 


End file.
